free
adjective
enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery.
free
1 American
[free]
/ fri /
adjective
freer,
freest
-
enjoying personal rights or liberty, as a person who is not in slavery.
a land of free people.
-
pertaining to or reserved for those who enjoy personal liberty.
They were thankful to be living on free soil.
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existing under, characterized by, or possessing civil and political liberties that are, as a rule, constitutionally guaranteed by representative government.
the free nations of the world.
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enjoying political autonomy, as a people or country not under foreign rule; independent.
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exempt from external authority, interference, restriction, etc., as a person or one's will, thought, choice, action, etc.; independent; unrestricted.
-
able to do something at will; at liberty.
free to choose.
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clear of obstructions or obstacles, as a road or corridor.
The highway is now free of fallen rock.
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not occupied or in use; available.
I think the main conference room is free, so we can meet there.
I'm moving to a new apartment, and that’s taking up most of my free time.
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exempt or released from something specified that controls, restrains, burdens, etc. (usually followed by from orof ).
free from worry;
free of taxes.
-
having immunity or being safe (usually followed byfrom ).
free from danger.
-
provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment: a free sample.
free parking;
a free sample.
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given without consideration of a return or reward.
a free offer of legal advice.
-
unimpeded, as motion or movement; easy, firm, or swift.
-
not held fast; loose; unattached.
to get one's arm free.
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not joined to or in contact with something else.
The free end of the cantilever sagged.
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acting without self-restraint or reserve.
to be too free with one's tongue.
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ready or generous in giving; liberal; lavish.
to be free with one's advice.
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given readily or in profusion; unstinted.
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frank and open; unconstrained, unceremonious, or familiar.
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unrestrained by decency; loose or licentious.
free behavior.
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not subject to special regulations, restrictions, duties, etc..
The ship was given free passage.
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of, relating to, or characterized by free enterprise.
a free economy.
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that may be used by or is open to all.
a free market.
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engaged in by all present; general.
a free fight.
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not literal, as a translation, adaptation, or the like; loose.
-
uncombined chemically.
free oxygen.
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traveling without power; under no force except that of gravity or inertia.
free flight.
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Phonetics. (of a vowel) situated in an open syllable (opposed to checked).
-
at liberty to enter and enjoy at will (usually followed byof ).
to be free of a friend's house.
-
not subject to rules, set forms, etc..
The young students had an hour of free play between classes.
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easily worked, as stone, land, etc.
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Mathematics. (of a vector) having specified magnitude and direction but no specified initial point.
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Nautical. Also (of a wind) nearly on the quarter, so that a sailing vessel may sail free.
-
not containing a specified substance (usually followed by of orfrom ).
Our deli meats are free of additives.
-
(of a linguistic form) occurring as an independent construction, without necessary combination with other forms, as most words.
-
without cost, payment, or charge.
adverb
-
in a free manner; freely.
-
Nautical. away from the wind, so that a sailing vessel need not be close-hauled.
running free.
verb (used with object)
-
frees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
freed,
past participle, past
-
freeing
present participle
-
to make free; set at liberty; release from bondage, imprisonment, or restraint.
-
to exempt or deliver (usually followed byfrom ).
-
to relieve or rid (usually followed byof ).
to free oneself of responsibility.
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to disengage; clear (usually followed by from orof ).
verb phrase
idioms
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with a free hand, generously; freely; openhandedly.
He entertains visitors with a free hand.
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for free, without charge.
The tailor mended my jacket for free.
-
free and clear, without any encumbrance, as a lien or mortgage.
They owned their house free and clear.
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free and easy,
-
unrestrained; casual; informal.
-
excessively or inappropriately casual; presumptuous.
-
-
make free with,
-
to use as one's own; help oneself to.
If you make free with their liquor, you won't be invited again.
-
to treat with too much familiarity; take liberties with.
-
-
set free, to release; liberate; free.
The prisoners were set free.
-free
2
American
free
1
British
/ friː /
adjective
-
able to act at will; not under compulsion or restraint
-
-
having personal rights or liberty; not enslaved or confined
-
( as noun )
land of the free
-
-
not subject (to) or restricted (by some regulation, constraint, etc); exempt
a free market
free from pain
-
(of a country, etc) autonomous or independent
-
exempt from external direction or restriction; not forced or induced
free will
-
not subject to conventional constraints
free verse
-
(of jazz) totally improvised, with no preset melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic basis
-
not exact or literal
a free translation
-
costing nothing; provided without charge
free entertainment
-
law
-
not subject to payment of rent or performance of services; freehold
-
not subject to any burden or charge, such as a mortgage or lien; unencumbered
-
-
(postpositive; often foll by of or with) ready or generous in using or giving; liberal; lavish
free with advice
-
unrestrained by propriety or good manners; licentious
-
not occupied or in use; available
a free cubicle
-
not occupied or busy; without previous engagements
I'm not free until Wednesday
-
open or available to all; public
-
without charge to the subscriber or user
freepost
freephone
-
not fixed or joined; loose
the free end of a chain
-
without obstruction or impediment
free passage
-
chem chemically uncombined
free nitrogen
-
phonetics denoting a vowel that can occur in an open syllable, such as the vowel in see as opposed to the vowel in cat
-
grammar denoting a morpheme that can occur as a separate word Compare bound 1
-
logic denoting an occurrence of a variable not bound by a quantifier Compare bound 1
-
(of some materials, such as certain kinds of stone) easily worked
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nautical (of the wind) blowing from the quarter
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(usually imperative) to regard oneself as having permission to perform a specified action
-
not_standard without charge or cost
-
casual or tolerant; easy-going
-
to take liberties with; behave too familiarly towards
adverb
-
in a free manner; freely
-
without charge or cost
-
nautical with the wind blowing from the quarter
a yacht sailing free
verb
-
(sometimes foll by up) to set at liberty; release
-
to remove obstructions, attachments, or impediments from; disengage
-
to relieve or rid (of obstacles, pain, etc)
noun
-free
2
British
combining form
free
More Idioms
Usage
What does -free mean? The combining form -free is used like a suffix meaning “free of or from something specified.” It is often separated from the initial element with a hyphen, as in gluten-free. The form -free is native to English.
Synonym Usage
See release.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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freenessnoun
-
freernoun
-
unfreeverb (used with object)
-
overfreeadjective
-
quasi-freeadjective
-
freelyadverb
-
overfreelyadverb
-
quasi-freelyadverb
-
unfreelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
freesimple
-
freessimple
-
have freedperfect
-
has freedperfect
-
am freeingprogressive
-
are freeingprogressive
-
is freeingprogressive
-
have been freeingperfect progressive
-
has been freeingperfect progressive
Past
-
freedsimple
-
had freedperfect
-
was freeingprogressive
-
were freeingprogressive
-
had been freeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of free
First recorded before 900; Middle English fre, Old English frēo; cognate with Gothic freis, Old High German frī ( German frei ), Dutch vrij, Sanskrit priyá- “dear.” Cf. friend, Friday
Explanation
Something that costs nothing is free. We can also say that someone is free of pain, which means they have none. This word has many meanings. On Mondays, admission to some museums is free — there's no charge. Often, people say the best things in life are free, usually meaning love and friendship. We live in a free country, which means we have a lot of rights and freedoms, such as freedom of the press. The word has a similar meaning when we say a prisoner goes free, or philosophers talk about free will: the belief that we make our own decisions, not ones forced on us by society, culture, or a higher power.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Suddenly, she was free to come and go as she pleased, so when her postgraduate program in Versailles accepted her application, we went.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
The charity said it fed 11,000 people every week with the stipulation that all its produce must be completely free to recipients.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
Vietnam and four European nations outside the EU signed a free trade agreement in Hanoi on Sunday, seeking to diversify their markets as US tariffs disrupt global commerce.
From Barron's ● Oct. 18, 2026
ROS are a type of free radical, a broad term for one class of unstable, high-energy molecules.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
At last, I thought, he has set me free to race my own race.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
AT&T said it received a “favorable” ruling from the IRS, signaling that the deal to combine WarnerMedia with Discovery would be tax -free for shareholders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2021
“People are much freer in being vocal about Jews,” Ms. Berg says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
United's freer approach has been praised by the maverick Fernandes, who saw a boost in his output following Carrick's appointment last season and was subsequently crowned Premier League Player of the Season.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Iran’s hard-liners appear to have a freer hand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
He felt freer to work when operating outside of the United States.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Party noises hung in the air: loud music, the raised voices and high laughter of boys and girls, all of them looser and freer than they would be the next day.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF seeks exposure to “the freest emerging markets, because we believe those are the places to find the next big growth stories,” Tolle said.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 17, 2025
Spain today is one of the freest countries in the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 19, 2025
He says he plans to "forge the freest, most advanced, most dynamic and most dominant civilization ever to exist on the face of this earth."
From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2025
Heti is one of the freest writers and thinkers I know.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2024
“I think an aeronaut is free. I think an aeronaut may be the freest of all humankind.”
From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep
The process can take around 10 minutes and frees her time for other tasks, she said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
That frees up experienced cyber workers to investigate more serious alerts that require professional judgment, he said: “The work doesn’t disappear; it moves up the stack.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“When you go through something like that,” he says, “you really start taking inventory of your life. There’s something about that that frees you up to take a risk. I was ready to reinvent myself.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Indeed, after Darragh Beirne and O'Donoghue frees and a Sam Callinan score, Kerry's lead was cut to one at 1-6 to 0-8.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
“If you’re willing to fight for me, to be my Champion during the months the competition will go on, I’ll see to it that my father frees you after five years.”
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
The pitch is familiar: Faster service, fewer mistakes and less repetitive work for employees, who will theoretically be freed to concentrate on something more important.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
The last live hostages were freed a year ago as part of a US-brokered ceasefire deal in which Hamas stopped firing into Israel.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Firefighters and CA State Parks Lifeguards accessed the vehicle, safely freed the dog, and carried it up to the roadway. Neither dog appeared to be injured,” the fire department said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
This has freed up more homes for buyers and returned demand and supply to a healthier equilibrium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
But this time, freed of her mantle, Pocahontas wins easily.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Higher mortgage rates could also halt progress the market has made in freeing up inventory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Kelley noted how "freeing" it feels simply "getting this stuff off your chest".
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
This is a practical example of how to save money on taxes while also freeing up funds to bolster your retirement nest egg.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
The minutiae are the key to freeing oneself from Mungiu’s clever trap.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Erickson, based at the University of Pennsylvania, worked in concert with a Bolivian archaeologist, who that day was elsewhere, freeing up a seat in the plane for me.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
